


Favours

by boredomsMuse



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Fae AU, M/M, and yet here we are, fae roman, i have no idea how this ended up being the two ships i have the most trouble writing, prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-25
Updated: 2020-03-25
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:41:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23311777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boredomsMuse/pseuds/boredomsMuse
Summary: “You helped me.  And now I will help you.”Funny how a phrase can mean so many things.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders/Deceit Sanders
Comments: 10
Kudos: 194





	Favours

**Author's Note:**

> From the fae dialogue prompt: _“You helped me. And now I will help you.” Roman and any side_ sent in by [@magpiemorality](http://magpiemorality.tumblr.com/) on tumblr

“You helped me. And now I will help you.” The first time Roman says it is immediately after the human has freed him. The iron cuff lays on the forest ground, mechanical lock picked with learned skill and the runes picked with unintentional intent. It had taken an hour, an hour the human had spent calmly speaking to him while he focused. 

He hadn’t known what Roman was, that was clear from the moment he stepped into the clearing. He’d so foolishly given his name. He was lucky everything Roman was had been suppressed by those runes. Or perhaps unlucky, a returned name was an easy favour to give. 

And an easy favour appeared to be what Virgil wanted, staring at the freed fae with wide and panicked eyes. An easy favour isn’t what Roman wants, too amused by Virgil’s fright. It was so different to what he’d shown just moments ago when he was convinced Roman was a human victim or some cruel madman.

“I didn’t, I didn’t help you for a favour.” Virgil says, taking another step back and gulping. “You don’t, I mean, I don’t want anything in return. Thank you.” He adds, desperately trying to cling to manners even when it’s obvious he wants to run. 

An easy favour won’t do at all.

“You’re owed a favour.” Roman says, hoping his amusement isn’t too obvious. He doesn’t want to scare Virgil off completely. 

“I really shouldn’t be.” Virgil argues. “I was just helping, it’s only right.” 

“It’s only right I help you in return.” Roman says, mouth twitching with a smile he really shouldn’t show. The human’s eyes dart around, clearly trying to think of something to say. 

“I can’t, I can’t think of anything I need help with.” He says after a moment. “So, consider us even. I have to go home now. Thank you.” He adds, giving a quick, polite bow before walking from the clearing. As soon as he thinks he’s out of sight, he starts running. 

Clearly he doesn’t know that being owed a favour means Roman can’t hurt him. Clearly he doesn’t know much about favours at all. One can’t simply refuse a favour, not a favour owed by the fae. It’s refreshing, Roman thinks, to see a human that doesn’t know how a favour can be lorded over a fae.

Or maybe he just wouldn’t. After the hour they’d spent together, Roman would believe it.

* * *

“You helped me. And now I will help you.” The second time Roman says is two days later. It’s the first time he’s felt Virgil need help since they met and Roman jumped on the chance to appear. Things have been settled back home - the witch that captured him has been dealt with, his brother has been assured he’s fine - Roman has nothing better to do than to grant Virgil a favour.

Or, more accurately, watch Virgil jump. Which Roman appearing most certainly made him do, the human almost stumbling back into the aisle behind him. De would be proud of how well Roman managed to hold in his laughter.

“I, uh, I thought we were even.” Virgil manages once he’s recovered. 

“That’s not how favours work.” Roman says. “You’re still owed one.”

“I don’t need help.” Virgil says and then quickly adds, “thank you.”

“You clearly need help.” Roman says, trying and failing to hold back a smirk. “Are all mortals so short?”

“I’m not short.” Virgil huffs, glaring for a moment before quickly looking away. “You’re just tall.”

“I am.” Roman agrees. “But you’re still short.” He grabs the box of biscuits Virgil couldn’t reach and places it inside the human’s trolley. 

“Thank you.” Virgil says, sounding more annoyed than he probably means too. “We’re even then.” This time Roman can’t help but laugh. He immediately regrets that, it makes Virgil tense with fear.

“That’s not how favours work.” He says, forcing himself to calm down and lean away from Virgil’s space. That calms the human a little bit. “You saved my life, I’m in your debt until I can do something of equal value.” Virgil actually did more than that, considering Roman was merely a trap, but he doesn’t need to know that.

“I was only trying to help. I don’t need anything in return.” Virgil mumbles.

“That doesn’t make you any less entitled to it.” Roman grins. Then, when Virgil blinks, he disappears. 

* * *

“You helped me. And now I will help you.” It’s become something of a greeting over the last few weeks, one that never fails to make Virgil jump. At least a little bit anyway. Lucky for Virgil, today only gets a little jolt and the stack of papers in his hand are mostly okay. 

“I don’t need help.” Virgil huffs. He’d accidentally given up trying to be polite, but when Roman didn’t turn him into a frog (or whatever it was mortals think the fae do) he gave it up on purpose.

“Why not?” Roman asks, taking half the stack of papers with limited complaining on Virgil’s part. Maybe he thinks all these little favours will add up in the end. Jokes on him, Roman’s doing this because he likes Virgil’s company.

“I can handle school myself. I don’t need or want to cheat.” Virgil says.

“You don’t know I was going to cheat for you.” Roman claims, smirking when Virgil just shoots him a look. “Well it wouldn’t be cheating, exactly, you’d just get to know everything right away.”

“And then what? I’d still have to sit through my lectures. I’d get bored.” Virgil argues.

“Alright, alright.” Roman gives in. “Okay, I’ll make it so you can see the answers on the test before you write them.”

“That’s cheating!” Virgil snaps then sighs. “I don’t need help.” He repeats.

“Fine.” Roman sighs, dramatic as Remus. He still works Virgil to the teachers office, holding the other half of the papers until there’s too much risk of being seen. 

He still works a little magic to make Virgil’s teacher lay off.

It’s not a favour, Virgil might never even notice, and De would likely call it a waste of time.

Roman thinks it’s worth seeing a little weight lift off of Virgil’s shoulders.

* * *

“You helped me. And now I will help you.” Roman says, a little more seriously than usual, late one night while Virgil pours over bills. Virgil looks his worst when he’s like this. Hair a mess, reading glasses on his face, a notebook covered in numbers and priority lists. Normally there’s a level of calm to his appearance, even if he still looks like a mess. But his son’s in bed and there’s no one to act for.

Roman hates looking at Virgil like this.

“I don’t need help.” Virgil says, tired and annoyed and over it. Without a thought, Roman has a cup of honey milk preparing. (He’d never drink it himself, of course, but it seems to help mortals calm down).

“I could make it easy.” He could. He would. It’s not a normal favour, Roman knows that. Most fae want easy favours, they want the debt paid immediately. Making Virgil’s life easy? That’s a favour that will last a lifetime. A debt that would last a lifetime.

Roman wonders if Virgil understands the significance of that.

“No.”

Probably not.

“Why not?” Roman asks, quiet and soft and with his back turned to Virgil so he doesn’t see how much it stings.

“There’s strings.” Virgil mumbles, he sounds so tired. “With any magic favour, there’s strings. If you make my life easier, you’re making someones harder.”

“You don’t know that.” Roman claims. Even he doesn’t know that. But he doesn’t really think about it either, so…

“Money doesn’t come from nowhere.” Virgil agrees. Roman shrugs. Human money is a forgein concept to him. “It comes from someone. What if they need it?”

“What if they don’t?”

“What if they track it down?” 

“What if they can’t? It’s magic.”

“What if they get a different fae, or a demon, or something to get revenge? They’re magic, they could figure it out.” 

“I’d protect you.”

“You wouldn’t owe me a favour.

_ I’d do it anyway _ . 

Roman doesn’t say that because he’s pretty sure Virgil  _ would  _ understand what that meant. Instead he lets them drop into silence. Safe, if sombre, silence.

“Alright.” Roman eventually gives up on silence too. “So your favour can’t have strings, and it can’t be cheating.” He says. “Anything else?”

“I don’t want a favour.” Virgil sighs. Roman just hums and a few minutes later, when Virgil slumps against the table asleep, he carries the human to bed. Once his human is tucked in, safe and sound and maybe admired for a moment, Roman returns to the table.

Well, he thinks with a sigh, he’ll have to ask De how human money works.

* * *

“You helped me. And now I will help you.” The next time Roman says it is the very next morning, when Virgil stumbles from his room to find Roman making pancakes. Patton is already practically breathing them in, apparently unbothered by the stranger in their kitchen. “No strings attached.” Roman adds, when Virgil continues to look confused.

“No strings?” He repeats, frowning. “How?”

“I’m going to make your life  _ easier _ .” Roman explains, rather proud of himself for that. “I don’t need magic for that.”

“Does it even count as a favour then?” Virgil asks, still frowning but taking a few steps into the kitchen.

“Probably. No one’s ever tried.” Roman admits with a shrug. “It’ll take a while though, so you’re pretty stuck with me.” He adds, like he’s not at all worried Virgil will recoil at the idea and decide his real favour is for Roman to go forever.

Virgil doesn’t do that. Instead he just stands for a few more minutes, frown still on his face, and then he sits at the table. 

“Okay.” He agrees. “I need your help.”

Roman doesn’t even try to control his grin as he places a plate of pancakes in front of Virgil.

“So does this mean Roman’s my new dad now?” Patton asks about two seconds later, making Virgil choke on his first bite of pancake.

He avoids the question, Roman notices with hopeful glee.

* * *

There are strings, Virgil learns later. They're just of the brother-in-law-kind.

Two strings, to be specific. They don’t tell Virgil their names, even after Roman does. They’re simply the Duke and Deceit. Which makes zero sense because the first is King of his court and the second is still fae so he can’t lie? 

His pair make no sense to Virgil, and they're a bit insufferable but he puts up with them. After all, he had a string of his own. 

Patton gave Roman his name immediately, much like Virgil had (he’s still kicking himself for that). Unlike with Virgil, Roman was fully fae when he was given Patton’s name. He gave it back just as quickly, protected and safe in Patton’s hands although it would take Patton years to understand that.

Watching the two always makes Virgil’s heart swell, makes him wonder why he was so nervous about letting the fae into his life in the first place. Roman clearly adores Patton, so it’s only fair Virgil tolernate Duke and Deceit (except he doesn’t just tolerate them at all, he loves his brothers-in-law and he’s not fooling anyone).

**Author's Note:**

> If you've got a prompt you want me to write feel free to send it to me on [tumblr](https://boredomsmuse.tumblr.com/)


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